India winning a Test series at home is hardly news. They have been unbeaten at home for 12 years, and very few expected Bangladesh to end that run.
Still, the Tigers looked like testing India to their limits when they had the home team 144-6 in the first innings of the Chennai Test. But once Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja counter-attacked with a near double-century stand, the outcome of the two-match series was decided.
On Tuesday, India completed a Test series sweep in double quick time by winning the Kanpur Test by seven wickets despite losing almost three days to rain. Rohit Sharma's team effectively won the match in a little over a day and a half, thanks mainly to a monumental effort with the bat in the first innings when they smashed 285-9 declared in just 34.4 overs.
They broke the record for the fastest team to every 50-run mark up until 250, signalling their intent to put the pursuit of victory ahead of everything else.
Once India gained a lead of 52, with a little over a day's play left, there was only going to be one winner. India's bowling attack then cranked it up to 11, leaving Bangladesh's batsman no breathing space as they were bundled out for 146 early on Tuesday. The victory target of 95 was achieved with ease, clearing the path to the World Test Championship final next year.
Apart from the Test series win and the impact on the WTC final qualification, what also stood out was the performance of the next batch of Indian stars.
It is no secret that the golden generation of Indian players is inching closer to the end of their careers and they need younger players to take more of the burden. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not scoring as heavily with the bat as they did a few years ago, so the onus was on the younger lot to show that they can deliver when the big names fail.
On the bowling front, the spin department looked settled as Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel were ready to take over from Ashwin and Jadeja at a moment's notice. However, the pace department still had some question marks. The main one being who comes after Jasprit Bumrah?
Mohammad Siraj has been consistent without being spectacular, while Mohammad Shami – who can match Bumrah for pace and impact on any wicket – is still working his way back to fitness. India needed a young bowler to step up, and that too right now.
They needed solutions ahead of the big assignment later in the year – the five-Test series in Australia that is most likely to decide WTC finalists.
India found answers to all questions in the Bangladesh series. Yashasvi Jaiswal (189 runs in four innings) and the returning Rishabh Pant (161) hit crucial runs in the first Test when the chips were down, while Shubman Gill (164 runs in two Tests) also hit a ton. All three batsmen needed to strike from and luckily for the team, they did simultaneously.
The other young player who came on by leaps and bounds during the Bangladesh series was quick bowler Akash Deep. The 27-year-old was easily the most difficult pacer to negotiate in the two Tests, challenging both edges of the bat at all stages of play – even more so than Bumrah.
Jaiswal at the top of the order, Gill right behind him, Pant in the middle and Deep with the new ball will be crucial cogs in India's touring party Down Under. All have shown good technical prowess and requisite attacking intent to keep Australia on the edge; the Aussies suffered series defeats during the last two visits by the Indians and will be desperate to avoid a hat-trick.
Captain Sharma is not scoring heavily, and neither is Kohli. Teams have started to see out entire spells of Bumrah, not even bothering to attack him so as to avoid giving him any wickets. The runs and wickets have to come from somewhere else.
Thankfully for the Indian team, there are others who have shown the ability and appetite to get the job done.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RECORD%20BREAKER
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
The years Ramadan fell in May
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Sunday's Super Four matches
Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangladesh v Afghanistan
Read more from Johann Chacko
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The five pillars of Islam
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
More coverage from the Future Forum
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The years Ramadan fell in May
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
Poacher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERichie%20Mehta%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nimisha%20Sajayan%2C%20Roshan%20Mathew%2C%20Dibyendu%20Bhattacharya%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Bahrain%20GP
%3Cp%3EFriday%20qualifying%3A%207pm%20(8pm%20UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESaturday%20race%3A%207pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETV%3A%20BeIN%20Sports%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More on Quran memorisation:
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
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Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
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Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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More on animal trafficking
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
